Family Matters
By Isabelle Southcott
hen it comes to balancing business with family, the two often overlap.
What works for one person doesn't necessarily work for another. Just as no size fits all, everybody is unique.
Many businesses begin as home-based operations out of necessity because the entrepreneur needs to be able to care for his or her children while working. Some people work part time to accommodate children, others take a leave from their jobs, and others stop work all together.
I have been lucky with Powell River Living. When the magazine began, my children were seven and nine. I needed to be home when they finished school.
It will be five years in February since Powell River Living was born. The magazine has grown; my children have grown. Earlier this year, the magazine moved out of the basement to a proper office. It was only because the children were older that we were able to make this move.
Andrea Westie of Westie Enterprises brings her baby to work. She works in a family business and so grandma and grandpa are able to enjoy Braeden and Braeden is able to spend more time with his family. Ward Griffeon has two sons-in-law managing West Coast Fish Culture these days. Ward's children and grandchildren have worked in the family business over the years pitching in when it got busy. They cut their teeth in the family business.
Every business is a unique puzzle in the same way that every family is different. The mechanics are different and so are the people but there is work to do and people needed to do the work. If you are able to accommodate your workers' needs, they'll be happier and more productive. We're in business to make a profit
and if we can have fun and be happy while we are doing our jobs you'll have a healthier, more productive workforce, which is good for the bottom line.
My children still pop by the office after school to say hello. If one is sick, I am able to readjust my schedule so I can be with them.
Most of us need to work to pay the bills but it can be difficult finding a balance.
We all know that at the end of the day, family is more important than work. We won't be lying on our deathbed wishing that we'd spent more hours at work but we might be wishing we'd spent more hours with someone we love.
